Chayton
by old chuck
Summary: An over the hill musician befriends a Velociraptor. Made to be a subplot for Broken Lives.
1. The vision

Chayton sat in the jungle. He ignored the flies buzzing around him, even allowing them to light on his body; they were attracted by the blood smell. The air was still, a haunting melody of distant creatures reached his ears. Not far through the undergrowth was a small brook. He could hear that too. He felt his beard, it wasn't particularly long just covered his cheeks and chin. He had seen his reflection in a puddle and had felt a chill when he had seen his own haunting gray eyes. He wondered why the sight of them should disturb him so much. They were,after all, his own. But the feeling stayed with him;what had those eyes seen? He had no idea.

He watched the way he had come with calm detachment, the heat had driven all but one thought from his mind; _she was coming._ He could see the carcass nearby, the flesh should still be warm— he had killed it not long ago. He had carried the still bleeding carcass to where it lay just a few moments past. He wore part of the creature's scaly skin around his feet.

He was aware of everything. The slightest rustle of the foliage caught his eye. Every distant bird was heard note for note. Some people, he supposed would be quivering in fear. He felt calm; the havoc of the last three days began to evaporate. He felt more comfortable that he had been in the cave last night. He had chosen his own fate and left most of his belongings behind, which mainly consisted of a rifle and some cartridges he had taken off a dead Latino. Along with a pair of boots that were too small for him to wear comfortably. He could only wonder what had happened to his own.

He waited…she should come soon. Somehow he could sense she was female. He had seen her on the first morning he could remember, about five feet tall with black markings over white scales, and she stood an impressive sixteen feet long from the tip of her snout to the end of her tail. He felt she was the most elegant creature he had ever seen with eyes like gold. He had seen her with others of her kind. Some were like her but others had a bluish cast and seemed to have feathers on their skulls. These he guessed were the males of the pack. They had red eyes set deep beneath brow ridges. He had hidden behind some brush while he watched them. Those shiny eyes had mesmerized him.

A figure appeared before his eyes suddenly giving him a start. The figure was one he had seen before a skinny African American man. "You're supposed to be dead". That felt right. He had seen the man dead hadn't he? His memory was hazy on the subject.

The man was looking at him "I am only a fig of your imagination". Chayton had to smile at that "I wish my imagination had come up with somebody more interesting than you. You look like you ain't had nothing to eat in two months or so." then he let out a deep laugh that he had to quiet down. The man ignored the comment about his physique and continued to stare Chayton in the eye. "Think about what you're doing" Chayton was not about to let anyone real or otherwise run his life "I've had nearly three days to think about this. I think that's enough".

He considered for a moment. He had his wallet with him containing his driver's license. It was the only indicator of who he was. The side of his head was bruised, there had been dried blood on the side of his face when he woke up, and perhaps that could explain his loss of memory. He looked down at his feet then jumped, startled for a moment at the sight of them before he remembered that he had covered them with scaly hide that was still quite bloody. They felt disgusting on his bare skin; he spoke to the figure as he looked up. "Do you know who I am"? The figure was gone. He supposed it didn't matter, whoever he had been he had finished himself pretty good.

He absentmindedly gouged the dirt with his toe. His face had a blank stare while he spent time once more muddling over the problem of who he was. This was, he supposed, the last chance he would have to do it. He could remember nothing but finding two bodies yesterday, he had taken the rifle off one of them. It had done the man no good. Chayton decided that it had been knocked out of his hand by whatever had attacked and killed them. Another was the fellow he talked to earlier. He saw that his name was Chayton A. Glendale; the date on the card and the peppered specks of grey in his hair made him shudder at what his age might be. He decided he'd rather refuse to acknowledge it.

The air was growing hotter by the minute and it seemed the carcass had grown more pungent. The smell filled the little clearing, surrounding him until he couldn't remember not smelling it. He glanced around without turning his head; he wanted to see her before she killed him. The sun was still slowly making its journey westward and even the flies seemed to feel the heat as there seemed to be fewer of them until it wasn't long before they were gone.

Several more minutes passed. His hand had sunk a few inches into the ground. He remembered the storm from last night, remembered the bright lightning and the roll of thunder. Water had entered and flooded the floor. Fortunately the cave was on high ground. It was then exhilarated by the storm he had made his decision.

The heat seemed to weigh heavily on his body, much more than before. He continued to watch the blood trail he had created. At least he looked in that direction. There was a sound that reminded him of a horse breathing he idly worried it in his mind as the heat waves shimmered and danced. It would be soon.

Time went on. Slowly. Only, he knew it was only a few short seconds. The breathing was louder. This time he was sure it was breathing. He thought suddenly that she was somewhere near, ready to pounce. He mentally swore at the idea, he wanted to see her.

Back along the way he had come was a new shadow. Something was in the underbrush he had not seen before. Then there was a flash of white he would not have hoped to see had he not been looking in the right place. She was there... but the breathing had been a lot closer. Too close to be her. He could see the outline of her head and what was probably her back now. She crept closer. A predator on the hunt.

The breathing bothered him. Not because he was afraid of whatever it was, he had engineered his own death, so that was no reason to panic, but he wished to die by her claws not something else. She was closer yet. She pounced... and all hell broke loose.


	2. Nadine

In the thickest part of the jungle, on an island in the five deaths chain called Isla sorna, a dense clump of fronds parted to reveal a white snout with rows of razor sharp teeth. The rest of the head showed black splotches, the splotches turned to stripes all over the carnivore. The carnivore's body was crisscrossed with scars from fights with predators and life fighting amongst her own kind.. This was Nadine, the alpha of the white rock valley pack. She was on the hunt.

Her beta, Quick foot was waiting on the other side of the meadow along with the rest of her pack. There was a small herd of Amurosours grazing between them. She slowly stalked the herd, careful not to show herself to the unsuspecting dinosaurs. The grass was barely tall enough to conceal her large body. She had to crouch herself nearly onto the ground to benefit from what little there was.

She stiffly eased forward until she got within a few feet of the hadrosaurs then rose and charged them. The lead male honked in agitation, warning the other animals that trouble had reached them. Soon the herd was thundering off in the opposite direction, heading for a trail in the jungle. Nadine slowed to a stop, watching the herd with satisfaction; the honking beasts had escalated to a thunderous din.

Quick foot was the first to reach the herd and in a flash was hanging off the side of one of the larger ones; it was not long before he had cut it open with his toe claw. The larger creature fell to the ground; it tried to rise again but was too weak. It struggled for a few more seconds before finally spilling the rest of its lifeblood into the mud. The rest of the herd ran on without slowing, oblivious to the dead left behind. Soon they would forget about it entirely.

The pack waited for her to arrive. She crossed the meadow quickly and reached the bloody carcass. Quick foot and his mate, Jessica, stepped back when she approached the dead Amurosour. Nadine took her part of the kill with gusto… at first. She stepped back to allow the others to eat of it. Her mate Adam was not here to share it with her. She supposed every male Raptor had his failings, Adam's was his fondness for the beach.

He had been killed by one of the strange creatures of the sea; the ones that lived far from their hidden valley. They had looked of course, and had found a little of his flesh. She had let out a mighty roar when she had laid eyes on it. Had sworn to kill the great sea fish and eat it. But it was not seen again and soon Nadine had led her pack back to the Valley of the white rock Adam had found. Her pack had worried about her but she had become more dominant than before, allowing no challenges to her authority. A few months's later she laid her eggs. They had been the only thing she had. She carefully looked after their well being in most of her time at the nests, the pack gave her plenty of room; she was often irratable. As the weeks passed they were still the only thing she had.

She scanned the meadow for dangers that could steal their kill, not many predators were large enough to threaten the entire pack, but she kept watch anyway. Just as she did before they had found the valley. The valley was only accessible through a small opening in the great ridge. The opening was small enough that the larger creatures were unable to pass through. It also trapped others that had entered as hatchlings. Towards the end of the valley lay the pools of smoke that no animal dared to approach. There was a human building amid the pools, which proved once more the stupidity of the humans.

Her pack was busy eating the young Hadrosaurs when Nadine decided to take a walk. This was not uncommon enough to draw attention so when she left they ignored her, except her beta who gazed at her until her tail disappeared from sight. She soon left the noisy pack behind. It was a bright sunny day and she had her favorite spot to sun herself just ahead.

The ground had turned into a swamp, it seemed to her. She had seen a swamp when she was a hatchling; in those days her kind had been imprisoned by humans. She wished she could sink her teeth into one in revenge for the long years kept in cages.

She could still hear the noisy pack in the background when a scent reached her snout. Hylisphodant blood. One of the strong legged creatures had left a trail of blood the most inept could follow. She heard the tell tale wounded cry, she had heard everytime she had witnessed one of the creatures killed. Other predaters would no doubt hear and come to the sound if she did not get there first. She sniffed the air again. The blood excited her and she began to follow, forgetting she had only just feasted.

Nadine followed the blood a little ways; her mind was clouded by the intoxicating smell, but not _covered up_ with clouds, she could see the odd tracks. They were indefinite, definitely nothing she had seen around a hylisphodant before, but the blood was a sure thing. She had tasted it before. She just had never seen a track like that before. It didn't worry her much since it wasn't bigger than her own. Her curiosity would be soon satisfied.

She skirted a wall of brush that disrupted the scent with its own smell for a time. so she decided to head for a clearing in the jungle she knew to be there. on the way she found the scent trail again and realized with enthusiasm that she was nearing the source. When Nadine reached the source of the scent she was shocked to find a human sitting in the middle of the clearing. The old hatred came to the fore; this hatred was long nursed, kept as a child. She began to stalk the human through the wall of brush between them. the human was a male with fur covering his face and the creepiest eyes she had ever seen. He was staring in her direction with an unconcerned expression on his face.

She quickly closed the distance between her and her prey. She stiffened her legs and pounced. Her killing claw grazed the human's stomach ripping the loose skin and drawing blood. Then something knocked her backwards. It was bright red with two short stubby horns above its eyes. She recognized it as a carnatour, a creature that could change its scales to match the environment.

The carnatour roared and charged her; she frantically leapt to her feet before the beast threw her against a tree. When she collided with the unforgiving surface something inside her snapped. For the first time in a while she was truly frightened. She slashed at the animal with the claws on her hand. It snarled in anger and attempted to reach her neck, where it could sever her artery. She raised her arms and opened her jaws in a defense posture and snarled. She looked for any opening she could take to escape. She could feel the tremor from the weight of the beast as it approached she saw its angry red scales, even the extremely small mix of light grayish blue on its snout.

She slashed with her toe claw one last time and followed it by a very feeble attempt at biting the creature. She saw the eye of the carnatour and discovered she could no longer use her legs. the great foot of the beast was near her head when she saw its expression change into one of surprise, the human was on its back plunging his sharp claw into its unprotected vitals. Once. Twice. Three times. She blacked out the moment the beast let out its final roar of agony and fell to the jungle floor.


	3. patching things up

Chayton pulled the knife out. It was hard to keep a grip on the handle and the knife was stuck deep in the flesh of the beast. He had to curl his hand around the hilt to gain enough leverage to free it, the sudden release of the blade sent him sprawling backwards. He lay there panting from exertion for several minutes.

He abruptly made the decision to get up. He looked around for the creature he had lured. he could see it just beyond the animal he had killed. It looked unconscious, he cautiously inched towards it expecting the big female to awaken at any moment. She was out cold. He could see nothing on the side facing him. He reasoned that the side against the tree was likely injured; with some effort he managed to lay the creature on her side.

She immediately began to breath hard. He gingerly felt her side until he came across a broken rib. The animal was breathing frantically but he knew that while putting her on her injured side would ease her pain, it would also increase the chance of fluid buildup in the lungs. the best course of action would be to put pressure on the rib.

He looked at his clothes and realized that they would not be sturdy enough to hold the rib in place. He glanced at the unfortunate animal he had killed and decided that using sinew from its knees was out of the question. He reluctantly glanced at some vines choking out the nearby vegetation "I hope it ain't like poison ivy". He took his knife and began cutting. It was no easy task but he managed to cut several into strips exposing the pores on the inside.

He wrapped two around the animal and tied them together with a third. Blood dripped from the wound. His chest ached from where she had clawed him; his shirt was stained with his own blood. He wasn't concerned with infection, matters of his health were remote to him. But the animal was in the same fix.

"I'll need to cauterize it". He looked down at the fallen " I need to fetch something don't die on me". He walked back to the cave silently daring anything to confront him. The cave was not far He rushed the last few yards to get to it. He grabbed the remaining cartridges and headed back to the clearing. he anxiously wondered if the animal had died.

To his relief the big female had not. As fast as possible, he toted a fallen limb closer to the animal. Setting it down, he took out a cartridge and held it against the base of the limb. he cut the round part off and held the point between his thumb and index finger. He poured the gunpowder out of it and picked the bullet out of the pile. He had uncovered an old birds nest while gathering vines earlier so he took that and broke it in his hands. He scooped some of the powder into the nest and used the steel finger guard against the cartridge to make a spark he soon had a small flame.

He stuck the knife blade into the fire. Despite the heat he shivered while watching it. He pulled it out and held it against the wound, smoke rose from the blade and he could hear the sizzle of flesh. he took the knife off her and remembering that the Romans believed mud held curative properties he piled it on the wound. He put out the flame with more, there was enough of it around. That done, he remembered the stream. He quickly walked to it and stuck his face in it. He had no container so he cupped his hands to hold the water.

Nadine awoke to the smell of burnt vegetation and blood. She tried to get up but found it difficult. To her surprise, there vines tied around her body. She was trying to cut them loose when she heard something approaching her. She snarled at the sound, just before the human came around some bushes with its hands out. She forgot about scaring off the human and watched it curiously. What was it doing?

Chayton sat on his haunches. He lowered his hands carefully holding his hands just under the snout of the creature. He had heard the snarl and it had taken some willpower not to spill any of the water. The animal sniffed his hands.

Nadine marveled that the human could carry water on its body. She quickly lapped up the small portion. The human came and went several times until she had quenched her thirst. The human was getting up to leave again but she hissed at it, to command it to stay.

Chayton heard the animal hiss. He looked back at it and saw it shake its head. He was startled. He leaned forward his beard inches from the animal's snout. "You can understand what I'm saying"? The creature nodded as if puzzled by the question. Chayton was startled even more. After a moment he compartmentalized the information as being not important at the moment.

"Do you trust me"? The animal shook its head. Chayton chuckled " that's alright I wouldn't trust anybody like me either. I'm going to have to move you now. There's a cave not far from here". He looked at the raptor " you're going to need some looking after so it wouldn't be wise to eat me just yet. Later would be a better time".

Nadine didn't expect that at all. For the first time in month's she actually laughed. Which came out in a short burst of rhythmic chirping. The human helped her to her feet which was quite an effort. It took several minutes of rest to get over the movement. The human was extremely patient the whole time.

Chayton carefully leaned her on his shoulder. He tried to carry the heavy raptor by himself but he could barely move her. Nadine had to use her right leg to help him along. She thought they must look very funny creeping along the jungle like that.

Chayton's bind was merely the best he could come up with, with what he had and Nadine found it stiff and hard to walk with. She could smell the blood from the dead carnatour in the clearing behind them; she hoped the smell would not attract more predators. Chayton led them to the little cave where he had left his rifle. He put her on the dry side. Nadine tried to stay awake but despite her efforts fell asleep.

Chayton returned to the clearing. Using the same limb, he brushed out all of their tracks leading to the cave. Then he mixed a generous amount of mud and blood around to disguise their scent. He looked at the animal he had killed, " I'm sorry it turned out this way old friend. I appreciate you saving my sorry bacon. I'll join you soon". Chayton walked back to the cave in a slow dejected manner.

The little cave was damp and soon Chayton was soaked enough that he was forced to take off his jacket. He carefully folded it in the driest corner he could find and laid down across from the sleeping raptor. He turned to glance at her and noticed that she had curled up as much as her injuries would allow and thought of a better use for it. As quietly as he could he crossed the small cave and placed it over the big female. He returned to his place across from her As soon as his face touched the cold earth he was asleep.

_He heard it a long time before he realized it, a chirping noise. He listened for a moment at the sound. He found it nearly pleasant; there was also an occasional hiss. Another moment passed before he realized it was not one bird. There were several bushes between him and the chirping and he pushed himself through them. He stopped before he had completely emerged. Chayton stared at the two dead men; they were covered in green creatures, each was a little over a foot long with two legs like he had. They bobbed their heads when they moved. One tore a chunk of flesh from the dead man and Chayton vomited, at the sound the creatures turned their heads and lept for him … _Chayton awoke gasping for breath_._ The island was bathed in moonlight. He could taste the salt in the air. A long time later, he finally returned to sleep

Author's note

Doctors do not recommend constricting the ribs as Chayton does. Fluid can build up possibly leading to pneumonia. But in his generation it was a common practice because it eases pain.


	4. A reason to live

The night was bright. The nest was quiet; far off in the jungle a night bird trilled. Somewhere in the shadows a predator caught its prey. After the moon started to sink, Jessica finally broke the silence "Maybe this is it. Maybe she just went off"'. Nobody replied to that; each with thoughts of their own. Especially Quick foot. Finding the dead Carnotaur was a surprise; few raptors could take one down due to their abnormal aggression, but it looked like she had done it. He really shouldn't be surprised; she had always been strong, and was the largest of them all, her successful fights for dominance were the only reason Adam had ever become an alpha.

Adam was intelligent but lacked the strength and the fighting spirit Nadine had. It had surprised them all when Nadine accepted his meat offering; Nadine was attracted to wildness. Now she was gone. All they had found was blood and the tracks of a creature strange to them all. It was fairly obvious that Nadine had been stalking the strange creature, but what had happened was not clear. There had been strange scratching all over the clearing. Nadine's scent had been distorted by blood. They had lost all chance of finding her when they got to a few foul smelling bushes.

He looked over at his daughter Yellow tail to make sure she was settling in to sleep. He and his mate had followed Adam and Nadine because the large packs had all but shunned her due to her strange coloration. He still had several children among the larger packs. He showed his teeth in a smile every time he thought of them. Talon had been the most like him and despite being the youngest had been the first to take a mate. The memory of what had just happened came back He remembered the overpowering smell of death. He had wondered about the lightning that had apparently causing a small fire. He thought about her smell and tracks being plain all the way to the small clearing in the undergrowth. Then vanishing like it never existed. " Her scent just disappeared". He said aloud. Jessica glanced in his direction also thinking of the debts they owed the Alpha pair.

The sun brought the dawn of a new day in the part of the world that the island of isle sorna lay. Off the coast of Costa Rica fishing boats had already started hauling in the day's catch; in a cave in a valley covered in white quartz, Nadine twitched from stiffness. The sudden movement caused her to hiss in pain. She lay there grimacing, her muscles were knotted up. A dull throbbing pain accompanied the stiffness. Masking this pain was the occasional extremely intense spasm of pain and coughing. The pain was excruciating . She could hardly breathe and the coughing hurt her throat.

Chayton had been awoken twice by the coughing. Both times he glanced at the raptor and went back to sleep. Coughing was the best thing to do with a broken rib. When he finally got up, he judged it to be around ten, he walked over to the animal he had saved and took back his jacket. " you don't look so good" he observed. Nadine snorted "thanks, genius" the human came closer, "aches huh"? She nodded "well let me see what I can do about it". Chayton slowly massaged the animal, carefully avoiding the broken rib.

Nadine stiffened when the human reached for her, which caused another spasm of pain. She lay there completely spent and unable to stop the human from putting his hands on her. He started on her neck scratching her head in the process. The human slowly worked his way down her body . Chayton kneaded the big female's muscles, getting behind rolls of flesh and working them back and forth like ocean waves. It was not long before Nadine began to relax; a few minutes later she even began to purr.

Chayton soothingly whispered in her ear hole, he had a voice that reminded her of the birds she heard every morning. Like the Brachiosaurs that remained virtually untouched by carnivores on the island. His voice was what humans called a tenor. After a time, Chayton felt sleepy from all the purring, he gradually slowed down to a half hearted, yet still effective, effort . He drifted off suddenly and fell to the ground. Nadine was completely relaxed for a few moments after the human stopped. She looked over the human; her purring had put him to sleep almost instantly. The sudden thought that she had found a way to control a human without touching him struck her as almost ludicrous. For the second time in as many days she laughed.

Chayton stirred a little at the sound, so she immediately began to purr again. "He looks as peaceful as a hatchling". She reflected that the human had not slept well either. She wondered why she cared about it, but decided it was only fair that the human be ready for a fight. She had passed over sleeping prey while on the hunt in favor of ones that were harder to catch in the past.

The pack stayed at the nest. There was very little conversation. Each had enough to eat. Quick foot had been silent for hours. He realized that he was next in line to become Alpha, it was a position he was not comfortable with. He would also be tasked with raising Nadine's children, something he thought he would soon be finished with. He looked at Yellow Tail.

Yellow Tail knew her father was watching her. she felt closed in by all the attention he was giving her. In some ways, life had been better with the old pack. She had been very young and had disliked the attention from the other raptors but her parents had other things to do than worry about her all the time. In their minds, she was still too young to hunt. She wondered if they would allow her to hunt at all.

Jessica had noticed her daughter's wistful eye every time the pack went on a hunt. She recalled that she had been much the same way. It was not time yet though. Yellow Tail had yet to acquire the patience needed for the stalk. That coupled with her bright yellow tail made it impossible for her to hunt successfully. The possibility of her ever taking a mate were also slim. None of the males had so much as taken an interest in her. She herself could not blame them, even though it saddened her to admit it, she could not imagine a more unlikely mate.

An hour passed and Nadine began to relax in the heat of the afternoon sun. the human finally awoke and went to get more water. He called it fetching. When he came back he gave her more water from his hands. The human left once more to bring her some meat from the previous day's carcass. When he came back with it he finally broke the silence.

Chayton washed the blood off. There were several puddles in the vicinity and despite his distaste for washing with mud he did it anyway. The animal was eating noisily in her corner. He was watching her when he began to speak " My name is Chayton. I have no Idea who I am or where I came from". Nadine had stopped eating when he spoke the last bit. She could not imagine what it would be like. Raptor society depended on family. She did not know how Chayton was able to live with the apparent loss.

A short time later Chayton took Nadine outside to answer a call of nature. It was still hot, the smell of rotting flesh from the carcasses drifted through the air towards them. Chayton let Nadine lean on his side again, while they headed out. Every few minutes her body was wracked by pain and coughing.

Chayton leaned her against a tree. He left to give her some privacy. In a short time, Nadine began the grueling effort of walking by herself. She emerged from the undergrowth almost completely exhausted from the effort. The human... Chayton was as patient as he had been before. He wasn't quiet. Rattling off stories and opinions about things she had never heard of. Stories about the men of L.A being rough and rowdy. To pretty females.

Nadine got mad when he started talking about girls. She could not control it. She wondered why she felt so, she told herself that she did not want to hear about humans mating. Thankfully Chayton changed the subject. " We need to be able to understand each other. If you teach me your language I'll teach you to read and write". Nadine nodded her head. Chayton got a better grip on her "Learning a new language is a reason to live, I guess.

Nadine settled herself in the cave again. She was still coughing. Chayton put his jacket over her again. Her one effort that day had worn her out. Even though the day had barely gotten past the hottest part, she went to sleep. Her dreams were of grassy fields, there was an abundance of prey. It was early morning, birds sang songs according to their kind. Nadine slept on.

Chayton quietly left the cave. He was wide awake. The afternoon was cooling off slowly; he made his way back to where he got the rifle. He reasoned that he may have left something that could help whatever was back in the cave behind. It would take him the better part of the afternoon to get there.

Quick foot knew he would have to lead the pack on a hunt tomorrow. He would have to accept that Nadine was dead. He and Jessica had the most experience, the four other pack members were barely older than his daughter who was almost two of what the human's called years. they lacked the strength to win against him in a fight for dominance. One had tried and been put in his place. He would wait for tomorrow.


	5. Discovery

this chapter is dedicated toMarutectz552.

Chayton walked through the undergrowth. He cautiously made his way west; He had awoken that first day by the headwaters of the same little stream that ran near the clearing. The water was salty there, he imagined the hole led into the ocean, he couldn't explain why the water was fresh downstream maybe some spring or other fed into it. He skirted the clearing until he came upon the small brook.

He could hear the small chicken sized creatures that must be feasting on the carcasses. He remembered when he first saw them. He had torn them off his body when they had attacked him and ran off into the jungle, they weren't interested in him, he realized. He had waited until they had left to rob the two men. a feat which felt repulsive. He had found a small depression and caved dirt over them. Now he was interested to know if they had dropped anything in their flight. He found it likely.

When he reached the little brook, he looked up and down its waters for a few feet, until he located a round stone. The stone was almost flat, picking it up he smoothed out the edges by grinding it with the whetstone that was in his sheath. He kept an eye out for rocks along the streambed, especially obsidian.

He had seen geothermal activity in his earliest forays into the jungle . He theorized that hardened lava could have very well entered the stream at some point. At intervals, he scooped at the sediment at the bottom looking for it. He found very little, there was plenty of quartz and even a bit of gold, which he had no use for but kept anyway.

Once, he made a surprising discovery, there was a dark muddy brown rock on the edge of the bank . Flint. He soon had as many rocks as he could handle. He left the stream quickly, hoping some predator would not notice him. He placed the rocks in a hole he dug in the jungle. He marked the spot with a cross so he wouldn't have to hunt for more anytime soon. There was some shade in the jungle. he stopped to rest under a particularly stout tree after going a few miles . He kept an eye out for limbs and saplings of a certain would bring in some of the wood later There was quite a bit to do to take care of the animal he had saved. He wondered how he knew exactly what should be done about surviving. How he was able to picture each step with clarity in his mind. _Who was he ?_

* * *

Nadine awoke in the little cave. The walls were damp, she was a little cold. There was no human to be found. She wondered where he had gone. She finally decided that he was outside basking in the sun. "Humans are lazy creatures", she scoffed. At least she was free of the vines. She sighed. She could think of no situation that was worse than being unable to hunt,far away from her clutch. " where is that fool".

She wondered if he had gotten into remembered the human's...Chayton's promise to teach her to read and write. She did not not know what that meant. She would teach him her language. She supposed that it would be well to learn more about humans.

* * *

Chayton cut across the jungle. He was in search of where he had found the men. He purposely avoided where he imagined the big female's pack to be. A meeting with them could only spell disaster for the big female in the cave. He thought of her some as he walked. Who she was, and above all how she was intelligent in the first place. The shock of such a realization should have left him in a daze for a while; but then he wasn't entirely sure about himself. He chuckled " humans think they're so smart".

When the sun began its journey to the other side of the earth to rise in his homeland. He found the spot. He stood looking at the shallow graves he had dug with morbid curiosity, he remembered his hallucination " this is where you ended up old friend"."Not quite". said a voice behind him. He turned startled once more, the man was back. He was irritated " What do you want"? The man smiled " We each live on the minds of the people we know". Chayton was not going to give the man a break "Is that right? Well, nobody is going to live in me; I don't know who I am".

Suddenly, there was another voice, one with a deep distinctive baritone. " That was what you said at Lefty's funeral. You said those same words".Chayton turned, searching for the man behind the words. The man was tall, and wearing all black. Chayton recognized him instantly " Johnny Cash " The man before him was vibrant...young, not like the older Cash of today. Chayton cocked his head " You're not like i would imagine". Cash gave him a grin that sent a chill down to the end of his toes . " I am like I once was, when we both were much younger". Chayton was honestly jumpy " Who is this Lefty you mentioned"? Cash looked every inch of a giant when he spoke the words " Lefty Frizzel". Chayton recognized that name too, he was beginning to suspect the truth of who he was. He had to ask though "If I know Johnny Cash then who am I"? The black man stepped forward " That's what you must find out". Both the black man and The man in black disappeared.

Chayton stood dumbfounded for a second, their departure was accompanied by a rattle which reminded him of an old western movie. He found that extremely strange. It wasn't until a roar accompanied the rattling that he decided that it wasn't in his mind. He turned. There was a creature in front of him. It wasn't very tall and had a frill.

Chayton could think of only one creature that had a similar sound. The Rattlesnake, He could see the creatures throat contract and he gave it a short vicious kick in the stomach followed by a punch in the same region. The animal lay on the ground gasping for air; Chayton felt winded himself quite a bit had happened to him the last few days. Which was a good enough reason for him to try to end it with a blast.

He was trying to gulp down air when he heard the scuffling of feet behind him. He ran forward instantly,without looking back. There was a tree a few yards away and he sprinted for it without thinking of whether or not he could actually climb it. He increased his momentum as much as he could considering the circumstances. He reached the base of the tree, his legs were throbbing with a dull ache that he tried to ignore. He reached the bottom limb and in one fluid motion hoisted himself onto it like a gymnast. The thwack of the wood beside him quickly caught his attention.

There was a substance on the tree that looked every bit like oil sludge, the tree was caked with the stuff. He tried to move further up into the branches but realized that the animal was climbing after him. He heard the creature's claws rake at the green wood. He could also hear the snorts the animal made through it's snout. The creature was directly below him and probably fully capable of splattering whatever the hell that stuff was all over his back. Chayton mentally calculated the distance between himself and the creature, he hadn't climbed very far up, " I hope I'm up to this" He said just before he slid off the branch he was holding and skidded down the tree desperately hoping that he wouldn't break his back .

He knocked the creature off on the way down and it fell with an earsplitting shriek. The creature landed with a thump; Chayton after it . He felt the animal under him, could feel it thrashing about wildly. He stabbed the animal, feeling an agonizing pain as the creature bit his arm, he managed to free his arm, then broke its neck by twisting it.

He had forgotten about the other one, and only remembered it when he heard it rattling. He jumped to the side and ran clutching the knife in his could hear the creature breathing behind him. Heard its footfalls in the dried leaves that covered the ground. Adrenaline masked part of his pain, making him run at a speed he couldn't have run normally. He tried to keep as many trees as possible between himself and his opponent . He had noticed where the two men had come from so he raced in that direction. The creature was hot on his heels.

He had not run far when something caught his foot. He landed flat on his stomach ; the creature literally ran over him. He tripped it up when he rose and killed it with a well thrown knife when it sprang to its feet, "Lucky they're small". He thought he would die from the strain. His lungs were on fire and for a time nothing else was in his life, the pain was his entire being. He fell panting on the jungle floor beside his would be dinner companion.

He got up after a minute unwilling to allow himself to fall asleep. He picked his knife out of the animal then glanced behind him to see what he had tripped over. "oh shit" in front of him lay a case . He quickly pulled it out of the brush and opened the three clasps.

"A silver guitar".


	6. Survival

This chapter is dedicated to Vantage77

The sun was starting to set before Nadine heard the human approaching the cave, he was panting heavily. Nadine could smell the human before he came anywhere near. She smelled blood, he had killed something she was sure. She saw the fur covering his face first then she was able to discern that he was holding something. To her surprise he had two dilophasaurs which he placed on the rocky ground before her.

She wondered how he had been able to kill both of them. In her experience humans were weak creatures. He must have surprised them, or killed them with one of his loud weapons. There was something else which he pulled from his back and held carefully in his hands. It was several feet long and reminded her a little of an animal because it was bigger on one end than the other, she had never seen anything like it.

Chayton set the case down. His muscles were stiff from carrying all that weight. His back hurt, and his knees. He could barely walk. He took the rocks out of his pockets and placed them on the stone floor. He was too tired to fool with either one now. The skins he had fastened to his feet had done remarkably well for the little time he had spent on them. They were falling apart now and a couple of his toes leaked out. He peeled them off and flung them outside. He laid himself down with his back to the animal he had wronged. He could hear the sound of meat being noisily pulled apart. He drifted off to sleep before she got to the bones.

Nadine had never seen a human's feet before she was intensely curious, and watched the man while he slept. When she was done with the carcass she went to a fitful slumber. when morning came, she watched Chayton drag the carcasses outside. She had eaten one of them, and he dragged it off further than the other. When he returned he picked up one of the pieces of obsidian and the larger stone and began chipping off bits of one end and then the other. She wondered what he was doing, she decided this human was crazy. Chayton used his knife to notch the edges breaking three of the stones in the process. Nadine's eyes widened at the words he used each time he chipped a stone too much. When he was done he had five decent spear points.

Chayton wrapped the points up. He had found a rag in the guitar case and the case had a side pocket. So he put the chipped stones inside before he turned his attention to making a spear. He was trying to figure out the dynamics of the endeavor. He had nothing to chop with, something he had to consider if he ever planned to build another fire. He had to find a weak spot in a limb and break it. That seemed to be the only way. Hopefully in time he would find an ax of some sort, but for now he had to make do.

The bottom line was the spear would have to wait until he got some proper footwear. He chided himself for not cutting the scales off of any of the beast he had killed. He needed to work on a pair of moccasins . He hoped that it was not too late to use the hide from one of the animals he'd killed. He would need an awl. An awl was a large needle with a handle used for leatherwork. He would have to make one out of teeth or bone. He worried that his knife wouldn't be able to handle the stress he would have to put it through.

His body was still sore especially his legs and feet, he spent some time rubbing them, while he considered the idea of his project. he would still need something to cut the bone in the desired length. He got up and approached the entrance of the cave.

Nadine thought the human was going to eat the rest of the dilophasaurs. He had followed pack order perfectly...much to her surprise. She had not expected him to follow any order at all. She watched him cut a large piece of the leathery skin and turn it over. He took his long claw and started slowly scraping the flesh and fat off. she watched him with puzzlement. Chayton didn't seem to notice, he seemed preoccupied with something . She wondered what it was and what exactly he was doing.

"I saw a man yesterday".

His sudden words startled her. He had stopped and stared off at nothing.

"Well, he wasn't really there, you see, he was just sorta in my head".

Nadine felt a chill, she wondered if one of the violent sea storms was going to hit soon. The cave had grown silent, save for dripping, though the rain was hours past. She watched the human, this Chayton, she could see the side of his face and the grayish hair that covered it. Time passed. She wondered what he was going to say next.

" He was Johnny Cash, you know, the man in black".

He turned to her puzzled face and stared at it for a second.

" Of course ,you've never heard of him, wait a minute here, I'll fix that".

Chayton picked up his guitar. He inspected it briefly and tuned each string. He started with walk the line and ended with Folsom prison blues. Nadine had settled herself as comfortable as possible. She was mesmerized by the human. Some of his words disturbed her a little,, but she was interested She wanted to ask him so many questions. she would have to teach him her language very soon. Chayton started on another song this one was different but she liked it even though she didn't know what it meant.

I walked home today and I found her gone

I walked home today to find you gone

Your note said I love you, but we just don't get along

That old muddy river flows by the railroad track

That old muddy river flows right by the railroad track

My baby took the train and she ain't coming back

So I think I'll go find me a bottle and put all my broken dreams inside

I'll find me a bottle and put all my broken dreams inside

I'll let it float down that old muddy river and I'll catch that train and ride.

Nadine was in a trance, she had never heard such noises. He had a strange voice and he sounded forlorn. He finished with some fascinating sounds from his guitar and sat it carefully back into its case. He wondered where the last song came from. It was a blues song. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Or perhaps, it came from the other man he kept seeing. There was something eerie about the whole experience, like some personal connection to the man. A regret maybe. Was that the reason he did not talk about him? He had little time to ponder on it though.

Chayton began to scrape again. he would have to soak the hide in hardwood ash, He looked up briefly, no hardwood ash was used to remove hair from mammals, he was truly out of his league with scales. He pressed on anyway hoping that he could at least make a pair better than he had. His were starting to fall apart and smelled of blood still. Probably one of the reasons that those rattling creatures found him.

He had stretched the hide to the limit and finally got all the fat off. He went out and gathered some deadfall and dried leaves . Using the flint he built a small fire inside the little cave.

Nadine was scared of the flame at first, but settled down after the human stayed close to it. He stretched out the scales on the ground. Chayton regarded her with his eyes that were similar to the color of his noise object.

"I'm making a pair of shoes so I can get around. My feet aren't used to walking on ground. With time they might get used to it, but not yet".

All of that was foreign to Nadine. She wondered why humans bothered to wear skins if their feet could withstand the ground. She kept watching the human he looked like he was pondering something.

"I'll need to make an awl".

He took the animal she had eaten from and got her to snap off part of the bone. She did so gladly, just to see what an awl was. He used one of the pieces of broken obsidian, though he knew chert would be best. He used the frozen Lava to create grooves on each end. He used the holes to create large indentations in both grooves. He then bent the bone, breaking it. Then he did the same again to break it long ways.

He shoved the rock into the groove on one end and pounded it with the large rock he had found, the bone began to crack. A little too much for his liking, but he had to work with it. The bone finally broke the way he wanted and soon he had an object that was flat on one end and pointed on the other.

The big female had been watching the whole time, She found everything he had done today fascinating. She wondered how she had considered humans stupid. They obviously were extremely intelligent. A few hours had passed while Chayton had worked in the cave and he finished by putting mud over the fire and feeding the big female. After that he massaged her again. This time she did not stiffen. A lot of thoughts ran through Chayton's head, soon they would have to try her walking. She had coughed less and less so he imagined it was time. Then there was something strange a memory, how could he have a memory if he didn't know who he was? His tongue loosened.

"I thought I was in love with this waitress in phoenix once. I remember that somewhat. I asked her to serve me food. She was pretty…so pretty. That didn't go anywhere that I can recall. Its funny, I don't know who I am, yet I remember something like that"

Nadine still didn't want to hear about humans mating so she started purring to put him to sleep. Chayton began to lie down. He was tired. The was last thought was barely crossing his brain when he fell to her purring. Tomorrow he would have to start making moccasins.

* * *

Across the valley things did not go as planned for the pack.

Jessica dodged the stegosaur that had just knocked down Teera, one of the younger pack members, and kept a wary eye on the spikes at the end of the creatures tail. She lured it away from the fallen raptor as Quick foot helped her to her feet. She easily outran the animal as the pack made a bitter retreat from the day's hunt. Quick foot was last in line, she noticed, to guard the rear after leading them into danger. Something that he would have never done in his younger day's. But he had to prove he was ready to become an alpha. They would have to do better she thought bitterly.


	7. Predator And Prey

Willard James Glendale stood in his kitchen drinking coffee. The morning sun was beginning to rise, casting the sky over his front yard with a red glow. He could just make out the woods on the other side. Out of habit he scanned for deer, there were none grazing. He chided himself gently for letting his mind stray even that much away from the problem at hand. His whole family had fallen off the map, at least he couldn't contact them. He thought of them all again and considered every possibility and while it was entirely possible that Chayton would neglect to call, the others were more meticulous. So he had tried the U.S. Embassy and they had come up with nothing.

Even when they had learned who was on board the pleasure yacht. If the world learned that the country star had disappeared Costa Rica would likely have hell to pay. That was why he had been told to keep the possibility of his families disappearance a secret and wait. He did not intend to do that. Instead he would contact an old friend of his father's from his time in the army.

His wife Bethany stood near him in her bathrobe and matching blue slippers, he was almost afraid to look at her. She had been frustrated with the whole situation from the beginning. They had not slept at all and her fuse was almost gone. He found that in those times the best course was to let her open the conversation. He did not have to wait for long

" Why do you think this old man can find your dad "?

" He knows Costa Rica and some of the officials there. Chayton told me he was in some war or other down there after Vietnam. He's a trophy guide too, and the president loves to hunt. Besides that he knows Chayton as much as anybody".

"What about the rest of your family? Your uncles"?

"Chayton is the key. He's damned hard to miss".

"I just don't like it'.

"I'm not sure if I do, either. But their government won't tell me anything".

He saw Bethany was resigning herself to his plan.

"What is the man's name"?

"Ben Hamilton".

* * *

Across the equator where night had begun. An old man with no identity and no home began a fitful slumber. Near him was a young raptor who held the highest power possible in her world. In the darkness of the jungle nearby lay an old raptor who had failed as leader...again. Beside him his ever devoted mate looked on worriedly. There had been another attempt to wrest the alpha position from them. It had failed. In their place she would have done the same.

Yet even with her admittance of that. She still believed Quick Foot to be more suited to leadership than anyone else. They had been Alpha's in the past, in the old much larger pack . Until they had been usurped by a promising Raptor named Seth. Seth had felt it time for a change since they had escaped the human cage. To the satisfaction of all the great storm had destroyed the cage while the humans left the island. But the island turned to chaos, pitting them into a war with the Browns and later the Greens.

In the end, Seth had taken leadership of the two allied packs and ironically discovered they should separate, to find food. It was Adam that first took the challenge to find new territory. Quick Foot was only too happy to follow him. Soon they returned with news of a valley shining with white stone. Quick Foot had felt that it was a better place for Yellowtail. A place where she would be more protected.

But he was not as strong as he once was and was not used to thinking for himself anymore. He had been a good beta in her opinion knowing when to talk to the alpha. But he would need to become a good Alpha or he would lose his position. They would have to hunt again tomorrow. They could become the omegas if they weren't successful. There was really only one option: She must talk to him in the morning. perhaps they could come up with some plan. She was not quite ready to become an elder without authority. There were a few more years to go yet.

* * *

Chayton watched the two creatures. They were like the animal in the cave. He believed them to be a pair. He stepped further away from them as quietly as he could. It was not difficult, they were intent on each other, he could hear growls and chirps so he imagined them to be talking.

He was fascinated by the idea. He had been ever since he had met the creature. Soon he would learn her language. He walked away from the two raptors as discreetly as he could. He had fashioned himself a pair of Moccasins by cutting a piece of scaly skin to a measurement in the sand outside the cave. He cut out two pieces four inches wide and long enough to fit the back of his feet, he overlapped two inches on the sides. Using the awl he pierced holes and using a pair of needles created a saddle stitch over both shoes he tied the seams together and joined the sole to the back of the moccasin by sewing everything together . He decided not to make laces. Instead, creating slip on moccasins. The big female had again watched him with noticeable curiosity.

"I could make you a pair".

The big female seemed to smile and gestured at her own feet with her snout as if to say that she already had a pair of her own.

He grunted in reply. He worked his fingers around his feet to smooth out the wrinkles that had been created as he slipped them on. He pushe himself up using his left arm and leg.

"These are comfortable, I bet I could make a fortune on 'em back home".

He left the animal/person in the cave and within an hour had fashioned a crude spear to use in a search for food. Waiting to be attacked, then killing the animal for meat had to be the more dangerous option. He had come upon the pair despite his intention to avoid the big female's pack at all costs. Luckily they did not notice, probably due to the plant that masked his scent. His curiosity was piqued and he decided to stick close to them. After a time the pair made their way further into the jungle. They maintained their pace for a while until suddenly stopping to inspect something on the ground. They milled around it before finally taking off at a speed he could not hope to attempt. After they left he went to see what was so interesting about the ground.

There were three toed tracks. Larger than the sickle clawed creatures he had been watching since the time he awoke. To say nothing of the creatures that spit stuff as thick as K-Y jelly. He put both of his hands, one after the other, in the print and still there was room. He thought of the one creature he had seen that could possibly match, and a plan came to mind. He would distract the chameleon beast himself, possibly the way he had done before . The trail was not hard to read and within a minute he had in his mind what the creature was doing. It would stalk the big clawed lizards, or at least it was a distinct possibility.

* * *

The stars shone over Colorado. It had reached the midnight hour . Willard had spent all day getting ready for his trip to New Mexico. He and Bethany were still very much awake. He knew she was still not in favor of him "using a crazy old man to find a crazy old man". He simply couldn't think of anything else. He wondered if Chayton had ever felt so out of options. He didn't think so, he could think of no one more capable. No one was as inhuman as Chayton. He thought of the many things Chayton had taught him about the woods. They had never spent enough time together. He thought of the month his father had spent in rehab after taking enough alcohol and drugs to kill a bull elk. That had been the last straw between his parents. It was when he had discovered that no one was as human as Chayton.

His wife could sense where his thoughts ran, and took pity on him. They made love for the first time since he lost his family. In that time nothing else mattered.

* * *

Chayton would find no food. That was the only outcome to any action he took. This would not be an easy matter. It was not as if it was right to kill the creature after what had happened. Perhaps he would have to do it. He felt his goal should be to bait it away from the big female's pack. That was what his honor demanded. It was a fool's errand. He could only foil it for a short time. Where could he take it? The creature was trapped in a box canyon. The creature in the cave could survive without him was his final decision. It did not escape him that simply following the animal could very well alert it to his presence. It might lay for him like a bear. None of that mattered. It was there and he would do it.

He could feel every stick and rock through the soft sole of his shoes. He was worried that he would not realize the creature was there. He had a habit to stop and listen to his surroundings, and he hoped that he would hear the animal like he did before. He had a feeling that he had been a man of the world in his time. It would certainly explain his abilities. His eyes were tired of being wide open, peeled for any ripple in the foliage. He imagined he needed glasses sometimes. that was another thing he refused to dwell on. He pressed on warily. The trees thinned out a little and he could see the field that spanned the center of the canyon. In it were many grazing animals.

They were all strange to him except one a lone animal with triangles on its back and tusks on the end of its tail. He did not remember what the creature was called but he did recognize that it was a dinosaur. He was dumbfounded. He knew that they were housed in old dusty museums he probably hadn't gone to since he was a small child.

there was one thing he knew for sure about them whatever they were called as groups. They were all dead.

The ones in front of him were very much alive. He briefly wondered how but dismissed it as the first sickle clawed beast rose out of the long grass. The herd became agitated as the sleek predator walked calmly towards them. Chayton's quick eyes found the other's in no time. The herd had not. They were still focused on the animal that had stood up. Chayton was almost sure he would see a kill, with the one animal being a distraction from the rest of the pride. But there was a predator to find, so he reluctantly left. He had not gone far before he heard the unmistakable cry of death.

He knew the creature was near. He figured that like many mated animals its instincts would be to hunt down its mate's killer. Since his scent was masked, the creature would go after the big female's pack. He was careful to listen for the same heavy breathing he had heard before. A minute passed. Then another. His mind was busy thinking of ways it could ambush the pride. It seemed to him that it would want to stay out of the sunlight. And it would most likely wait where the pride would return after feasting on the kill.

He made his way to where he had found their tracks and waited. Perhaps the animal would simply steal their kill. Somehow, he doubted it. The pride was a long time coming. He stood still on the edge of the tree line for almost three hours listening to the feasting being done. Soon after he could hear them coming his way. He believed some of them were carrying meat which indicated a nest. He watched carefully and when the first reached him. The chameleon beast showed itself. There was a great bellow then a hiss and before anything had time to react. He poked it tauntingly with his spear. Twice.

Blood trickled out of the small wound he had made. The animal gave another roar and Chayton was gone. He hoped the creature had blocked the pride's view of him. He could feel the animal hot on his heels. He was hurting all over. He was even itching. His lungs ached with every breath. He could hear the snarls of the pack that must be chasing them both. He dodged trying to keep trees between him and his pursuers. He could practically feel the breath of the beast.

The animal gave several bellows as it saw its prey start to slow from exhaustion. He was nearly done for when he saw an odd thing to his left. There seemed to be a hole in the ground. It was slightly off his path. It was huge. That was the only thing that he could see. Somehow he found more energy than he thought he had. He had changed direction and despite thinking he would die anyway, He made it his life's goal to see what the hole led to. He jumped in without a thought or even a concern for what awaited him.

The hole was much deeper than he had realized. He had landed hard, and his muscles screamed at him in protest. His impact with the bottom left him curled up in a fetal position. The pain was so intense that he wondered if he would ever learn the language of the dinosaur he had saved. He could hear the snorting of dinosaur's snout as it tried to seek him out. He could no longer hear the smaller clawed creatures. Finally, the big animal left bellowing irritably. He sat still listening to the footfalls of the giant. The hole was deep. Too deep. Around him were crumbling clay walls. He was so deep he could see the stars overhead. As if night had clasped it's cold hand early upon the island. He was too tired to care. He wished he had his guitar. He had been playing it every chance he got and the big female enjoyed it. Or, at least seemed to. He couldn't be sure. Basing her reactions on human behavior was no doubt foolish. He had not spent enough time with her to be sure of anything in any case. There was one thing he was sure of. He would die here.

_Chapter seven marks the end of a certain sequence in my story. That of constantly preparing for survival. Chayton will make something occasionally but not at the same time. My goal of actually introducing _survival_ in this genre of survival and not just being rescued by the scaly love interest is something I wish to be noticed. For anyone questioning who the character is and what makes him tick. I believe it has been answered somewhat. Chayton is a capable man with a high sense of honor .However, he has the habit of leaping without looking. And as shown a slightly different view of morality._


	8. On the mainland

A/n I understand if you have been waiting for the solution for the last chapter. But it will be next time.

Ben Hamilton felt alive. With a fine horse between his legs, and finally back in the land of his birth.. there was no other word to describe the elation he felt at seeing the snowcapped mountains. Below them on the low plain it was hot. He was a creature of the desert, born and bred, but even after all these years to see snow up in the high country was something he was amazed at. He knew perfectly well that it was cold up there. He had explored much of the Rockies in his youth: from the Sangre de Christos, the grand Tetons, the Sierra Madre. sometimes he had a companion with him: Leon or somebody he knew from the area.

He tracked lions mostly when he was home. His father had trapped those same mountains. And his grandfather before him. He rarely guided people here. He tried to save most of that when he was abroad. Chasing lions, and cape buffalo in Kenya. When he was much younger he went after tigers, but times had changed, and he had been forced to change with them. His wife missed Asia, that was her home.. But it couldn't be helped. He tried to take his family with him whenever he could. It was the best he could do. It was the least he could do.

It was a demanding lifestyle. There had been times he regretted bringing his wife to his country. She liked to say the good always outweighed the bad. She was like that. One of the more selfless people in the world. Of course, by her families standards she was wealthy. He remembered the day he met her selling wares on a muddy street. H e had bought all of them on impulse . he still had all that stuff. She still had the money. They spent much of their lives working together, bringing their son Dan along with them whenever they could. He was pleased that they accepted each other so easily since his first wife's death. Dan was in college now.

He passed by a still visible posthole half filled with dirt. His father used to keep cattle, he had put up fence along where Ben rode now. The only place that it still stood was just in front of the house. He didn't like people showing up on his place without the warning a creaking gate provided. He didn't like horses to run off neither. He put the bay into a cantor. He had been out since early morning and it was probably time for breakfast. He rode the animal through the backend of his place, then dismounted. Holding the reins in one hand he walked the little bay he called Joker to his stall. He stripped the saddle off of him but left the hackamore on. It was easier that way. He gave the horse a good rub down then slung his saddle over his shoulder. The cinch ring caught his attention briefly, in his grandfather's time they were used by rustlers to brand stock as quickly as possible, it was still against the law today to use one for branding. He put the saddle on the mesquite poles of the stable and made his way to the house. His left leg was stiff from an old flesh wound he had collected in one of the several wars he had fought in through the last quarter century. He soon made it to the house to greet his wife.

Willard felt tired, it had taken him thirty-three hours of traveling to get to the isolated ranch in New Mexico. The sun had risen five hours ago and shown clearly over the pin 'on and other desert plants he couldn't identify. He was proud to have spotted the tracks of a mule deer amid the truck treads of the people that ran the place. The deer probably got the water it needed from the plants it ate, never needing to drink from a stream.

An old friend of his father from his short time in the army sometimes lived here. The man's name was Ben Hamilton and from what his mother had told him was not the most well mannered of men. His mother often disapproved of the men Chayton, as everyone called his father, had known. Everyone from George Jones to the strange man whose only name was Leon. To her they were all scoundrels . They became particularly so after his parents' divorce.

His mother was short on praise. At least, that was what Chayton always said. He remembered her scoffing at a little girl once, Grace ...Knight? He couldn't remember if that was her name or not. The girl was obviously homeless. His mother was giving some sort of speech when Chayton got out his silver guitar and started playing. Chayton was probably the most impulsive man on earth. Soon, everyone noticed the famous instrument and the man behind it. They gathered around putting money in the guitar case, half of what he would earn for his show that night. His mother had been forced to watch. The girl got a lot of money ,Willard remembered.

He drove carefully to avoid the occasional rut or rock in the road that wouldn't do a cow path justice. After a few minutes he finally saw the house, he imagined it was once white, on the desert plain. A horse nickered from the corral, there were three of them that he could see. He had to get out and open a gate, drive through it, then shut it again. He parked his car in a large space in the driveway. The house had a large porch with several old chairs on it. The railings were rusted and the black paint was chipped exposing the metal beneath.

He walked up without touching either side and knocked on the door. For a moment he could hear footsteps then a gruff voice called out "who is it"?

" My name is Willard Glendale" he said almost nervously.

"Any relation to Chayton Glendale"?

"He is my father".

The door opened slowly to reveal a tough wiry looking man with brown eyes. He looked Willard over for a moment then said nodding

" Yes, yes, You look somewhat like him. You don't have his eyes. what do you want? Out with it".

"Chayton is missing...at least I can't contact the Yacht he's on".

Willard hoped that the man would have loyalty to his old comrades. But the man just looked weary "he's done it before. After we pulled out of "Nam. He vanished . Tony... ,a friend of Chayton's, thought we should look for him. Finally found him living with some natives in South America. ".

"This might be different. He's older".

"Let the young gentlemen in, Benjamin". Willard looked behind the man before him. He could see the edge of a garment he assumed belonged to the owner of the voice. Hamilton stepped back and Willard stepped forward slowly, behind the old man was a woman he assumed was his wife. The woman looked to be as proper as her husband was not. She was a small oriental woman with gray in her hair. She spoke with a heavy accent. It occurred to him that Chayton was no different in that regard, he too had married a gentlewoman despite being a rogue.

There were several light brown padded chairs and a small table between two of them. Above was the large mounted head of an Ibex. He noticed several more mounted trophies in an adjacent room. He allowed the man to choose his seat before sitting himself. The woman had a nice smile, he thought.

"Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea?"

"Water would be fine."

"Good then you will stay for the night" Hr voice was very firm.

"Thank you ma'am".

The old man was looking at him " Someone taught you manners. I bet it wasn't your old man".

"no".

"Chayton was always a wild one, He did a couple of things in combat I wouldn't have thought of. Things that only worked because they surprised the hell out of Charley". Willard knew that as being slang for the Vietcong. " I took him on hunts a couple of times after the war and he hadn't changed".

It didn't take long for the lady of the house to return with a cup of ice water which Willard was grateful for after his long trip through the desert. the temperature had skyrocketed in the past week .

Willard feared that he had somehow lost the older man ,he had a faraway look in his somewhat cold eyes. Like water that had become murky. Willard could not fathom the depths. When the man's brown eyes looked into his, Willard knew that whatever he had been thinking would remain within.

" I never could figure out why he became a singer. He could of been many things"

" He had a dozen number one hits". Willard felt he had to say something in defense of his father despite the fact that his career had kept him away during his childhood. His mother had listed that as one of several reasons for divorcing him. He had tried to reason with her but she had never seemed to consider him an adult. In fact, she treated many people twice his age the same way. The situation was hopeless. But the older man simply used the statement to further the argument he had made at the door.

" How many of them have been recent"?

"His last one was in' 88".

"And you wonder why he's gone"? The man said getting up " The man is vain. He'd never act his age. Having some young cockers take his limelight must be intolerable".

"You think he's having a middle age crises"?

"Of a sort. I know he must be considered eligible for the hall of fame, and even that honor would only be a mark of age".

"You think everyone on board the ship is too"?

"There could be technical problems. You should wait until the ship is due in, before doing something about it"

Willard thought that perhaps he had overreacted a little. He made his next decision quickly.

"Very well, I'll wait. Then I will look for him".

Ben watched the young man , he had said the last part firmly and in that second and a half a little of Chayton had emerged in his features. The boy did not bother to turn his head and Ben knew that he had been shamed a little, but it would make him more careful. His wife showed the young man to the spare room. Ben stayed behind deep in thought.

"Looks like I have to take a trip soon".

His wife overheard his remark. "You mean you are going"?

"Like the boy said, he's older".

He didn't understand why his wife looked so grim. In fact, he had never seen her that way.

She walked to the counter and picked up a brown package. "Tony is dead".

Hamilton hadn't smoked in ten years but he reached in the drawer where he kept his last pack and his old metal lighter. He put the cigarette between his lips and cupped his hand around the lighter and turned the wheel. The tip caught fire and he breathed in . He flipped the cap back on. The jungle had virtually no breeze. It was a clear day and he had just gotten off the boat in Vietnam. He looked at the group of soldiers in the same olive uniforms he himself wore. All but one were standing. The other was sitting with a guitar across his lap. He had black hair and gray eyes.

"My name is Chayton".

A/n

Tribute to Vantage77 and Clever Girl. I will get Chayton out of his hole soon. In the meantime let me know if you don't understand this chapter. Ben does not actually go back in time it is a flashback.


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